126 Holocaust Scholars Affirm the Incontestable Fact of the Armenian Genocide and Urge Western Democracies to Officially Recognize it.

At the Thirtieth Anniversary of the Scholar's Conference on the Holocaust and the Churches Convening at St. Joseph University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, March 3-7, 2000, one hundred twenty-six Holocaust Scholars, holders of Academic Chairs and Directors of Holocaust Research and Studies Centers, participants of the Conference, signed a statement affirming that the World War I Armenian Genocide is an incontestable historical fact and accordingly urge the governments of Western democracies to likewise recognize it as such. The petitioners, among whom is Nobel Laureate for Peace Elie Wiesel, who was the keynote speaker at the conference, also asked the Western Democracies to urge the Government and Parliament of Turkey to finally come to terms with a dark chapter of Ottoman-Turkish history and to recognize the Armenian Genocide. This would provide an invaluable impetus to the process of the democratization of Turkey.

Below is a partial list of the signatories:

Prof. Yehuda BauerDistinguished Professor
Hebrew University
Director, The International Institute of Holocaust Research
Yad Vashem, Jerusalem

Prof. Richard LibowitzTemple University

Prof. Israel Charny, DirectorInstitute of the Holocaust and Genocide, Jerusalem
Professor at the Hebrew University,
Editor-in-Chief of The Encyclopedia of Genocide

Dr. Marcia LittellStockton College
Exec. Director, Scholars' Conference
On the Holocaust and the Churches

Prof. Ward ChurchillEthnic Studies
The University of Colorado, Boulder

Franklin LittellEmeritus Professor
Temple University

Prof. Stephen Feinstein, DirectorCenter for Holocaust and Genocide Studies
University of Minnesota

Prof. Hubert G. LockeWashington University
Co-founder of the Annual Scholar's Conference
On the Holocaust and the Churches